Here’s How Second Metro Safety Surge May Affect Your Commute

While Surge No. 1 wrapped up single tracking that affected Silver Line trains on the route to/from Wiehle Reston East, it doesn’t mean the ride is totally clear for riders originating or disembarking in Reston. Surge No.2 — one of 15 safety projects from Metro over the next 10 months — will affect Blue Line Riders in Arlington, as well as Silver Line riders in DC.

Here is what you need to know for round 2:

There will be line segment shutdown between Eastern Market & Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road, and no Blue Line service between Arlington Cemetery and Rosslyn.

Orange, Blue and Silver line trains are expected to be very crowded, especially during rush hour due to severe service reductions.

On weekdays:

Orange Line trains will run every 10 minutes outside the work zone with all 8 car trains.

Silver Line trains will run every 10 minutes outside the work zone with a mix of 6- and 8-car trains.

Yellow Rush+ runs all day, use Yellow Line for service between VA & DC.

Blue Line trains will run every 12 minutes between Franconia & Arlington Cemetery only. There will be no rail or bus service between Arlington Cemetery and Rosslyn during peak hours; travel via Yellow Line and transfer at L’Enfant Plaza instead. Weekday midday, buses will connect Arlington Cemetery and Rosslyn every 24 minutes. See timetable and stop map.

After 10:00 p.m., trains will run every 20 minutes.

There will be NO Blue Line service after 10 p.m. Use Yellow Rush+ between Franconia and DC.

LIMITED shuttle bus service will be provided as an option for those riders who cannot use alternate modes of travel. Buses will travel in two routes: between Eastern Market & Minnesota Ave w/stops at Potomac Ave & Stadium-Armory and between Eastern Market & Benning Road w/stops at Potomac Ave & Stadium-Armory

The second surge will continue until Sunday, July 3. Meanwhile, Metro says roads will also be crowded.

From Metro:

Residents, visitors and others who travel via Metrorail and on any of the major corridors within Fairfax County including I-66, I-495, Dulles Toll Road, and I-95, will be significantly impacted by the track work.

Close to 300,000 daily trips across the Metrorail system will be impacted by SafeTrack Surge #2 track work, and commuters should expect long wait times during rush-hour on all lines.

To reduce the potential for gridlock on the roads and highways in Fairfax County that would result if thousands of employees turn to their private vehicles for their commutes, Fairfax County is urging commuters to telework and use flexible work schedules whenever possible, and encouraging the use of alternate ways to commute that do not involve driving alone.

It is somewhat unclear how the Silver Line will be affected in the next couple of weeks if all you want to do is to travel to downtown DC. If the trains are running every ten minutes, what really will cause the backups at the stations? How late will the Silver Line be operating from DC to Reston, say, from Metro Center?